4.5 rounded up. If you like magical realism or how people deal with history and family, give this one a go.

When We Were Birds is billed as a romance. I am not a fan of romance and missed this billing. There are two people who fall in love and one sex scene. Does that a romance make? If you're looking for a traditional romance, then this is not it.

By the end, I absolutely loved this book. I wouldn't have believed that at the beginning. It took a good 10-20% to get into. The rhythm of the words feels strange and you feel out of place at first. Before long, you are in that rhythm and no longer notice it.

At first I was not even sure that our two characters existed in the same timeline. Darwin feels modern, but Yedije feels ancient and timeless. For reasons that become clear enough. The tension between life and death, tradition and modernity, morality and survival form the story. That does not mean there is no plot. Darwin is immediately likeable, and the characters surrounding him fleshed out in ways that enrich your connection with him. Yejide, shouldering the mythic burden of the plot, does not get the same benefit. It is nearly the end before the people in her household have places. Most of the plot progresses in Darwin's story line, so you get more of how he acts, thinks, and responds. Yejide's portion is shackled by tradition in a way that overpowers her individually. Of course, that can also fit neatly into the story, but it still feels lacking. The empathy for Darwin's strong connection to her isnt there - it's suspension of disbelief or an act of faith. Is that what makes this a romance?

Thank you to Ayanna Lloyd Banwo, Doubleday, and Netgalley for access to an advance ecopy for review

Wildly colorful storytelling in this dual POV novel about the effects of losing the ones we love, what they leave behind, and finding love amidst the depths of grief.
Ayanna Lloy Banwo brought this story to life with vivid imagery, great description, and interesting character observations. I really enjoyed reading through this novel and discovering Darwin and Yejide's story and the way their culture handled aspects of death. As a latino there were some definite similarities and it was nice to see the connections between my and their cultures.

When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo is a story with so much emotion and history. It was a captivating read. A story about death, family and faith. Darwin is a grave digger while Yejide deals with the afterlife. Both conflicted by recent events and dealings and their family values. Their journey was complex, magical and must be read with an open mind.

Happy reading

"The dead done dead already and the living following them soon enough."

---------------------------

When We Were Birds is a novel about grief, spirituality and love. Darwin is a young man who needs to make a life for himself and take care of his mother. He is placed in a grave digger job and is exposed to all manner of new experiences that open his eyes to the spiritual world, the good and bad of humanity and help him find himself. Yejide is a young woman living in the nicer part of town, she has a complicated family history - when her mother passes she inherits a legacy she didn't know existed. One that means she can see and speak with the dead.

These two cross paths in a very supernatural way and realize they are destined to be in one another's lives. We see a little of the world of star-crossed lovers, both fighting the roles and responsibilities placed upon them. I was appreciative of learning different aspects of the culture, Yejide has one view of the world and Darwin was born a Rastafarian. Those experiences are so different from both my own and from one another. Generally, I don't enjoy a "love at first sight" type story but in this case I appreciated that there was a destiny aspect to it.

The book's dialogue does use the dialect of the island which is a little jolting at first but it's easy to settle into. The writing about the island and the spirits is so beautiful and immersive, it was one of those worlds I was sad to leave.

Thanks to Doubleday and Netgalley for advanced access to this novel. All opinions above are my own.

I loved this book! As someone who is half-Trinidadian, I could hear the accents of my family members and imagine myself in the story. I loved that this book is dual perspective and we got to see the different sides of the fictional world in a very real world Trinidad. I loved the magical/mystical aspect of the story. I also loved how the two characters came to cross paths and eventual connect. The relationship between Yejide and her mother felt a lot like the relationship that I have with my maternal grandmother in the fact that it was very disconnected but there was still some reverence there. I can't wait to get this book for my mother as I think she would be able to appreciate that it took place in the place of her birth.

When We Were Birds follows alternating perspectives of Darwin and Yejide, two strangers in a fictional town in Trinidad, who are brought together by death. Darwin is desperately looking for a job, and finds the only thing on offer is gravedigger for a cemetery. As a Rastafarian, his beliefs prohibit this, but with no other options he chooses to forsake his faith to take the job, resulting in his mother cutting him out of her life as well. Not long after taking the job, he realizes it isn't as simple as grave digging. Yejide on the other hand begins with the loss of her mother through death, reminiscing about her mother's past eventually becomes actual conversations with her dead mother, Despite their strained relationship, Yejide has inherited a special connection with the dead through the line of women in her ancestry from her mother. One day she appears in the graveyard, though she isn't actually there and Darwin sees her. This creates an instant connection between the two when she actually shows up at the cemetery to negotiate for her mother's burial.

This really benefitted from dedicating time to immerse into the book and cadence of the storytelling, as it is written entirely in Trinidadian english dialect, with some characters dialog in stronger phonetic dialect seeming to be some sort of patois - but I'm no expert here. There is no doubt the writing and storytelling are beautiful, capturing the sense of place so well. There was an incredible moment where Darwin & Yejide drive up somewhere high and look down on the town from above, reflecting on how up close the cemetery seems so vast, but looking down it is dwarfed by parks and other spaces - the scene is so vivid and cinematic, as well as thought provoking about perspective on the balance between life and death. As well I found it brilliant the way the book depicts the mother relationships with Darwin out of contact with his much loved and still living mother, while Yejide is still in touch with her mother after death despite their strained relationship.

The book really has a lot to say, though plot-wise typical of magical realism has very little going on and quite a slow build and not a huge amount of explanation about anything on the fringes of the story. There is really no hook into the plot and it really took about half the book before there was a sort of direction to it, for almost the entirety of the book, then the last 10% was just completely absorbing and I didn't want to stop turning the pages. While a very different book, reading this reminded me of my feeling reading the well beloved Tin Man by Sarah Winman, both clearly achingly beautiful books, but I just failed to get that emotional connection with the characters or story to make it amazing for me that many other readers find. I really wanted more introspection from them both or even an exploration of grief for either, Yejide's grief is stunted because her mother is still there for her, Darwin never grieves either the loss of his faith or his relationship with his mother at all, just sort of moves forward with life, and the two never really discuss their emotions about these situations either. That said, the one element that actually turned me off was how suddenly the two characters connect and without really getting to know each other at all.

So, for me this was certainly an impressive debut from an author I will watch for in the future, the main things that held me back were that I just wanted more from the characters and plotting..

✨ Review ✨ When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo
Set in fictional places in Trinidad, this story features Darwin, a man coming from the countryside to work in Fidelis, a large cemetery in the large city of Port Angeles, and Yejide, a woman watching her mother die, waiting to see what her legacy will be as a St. Bernard woman. Both Darwin and Yejide are deeply connected to death and the work that surrounds it, and so their meeting in the book feels inevitable.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Fantasy, but felt more like magical realism with a bit of love story and mystery woven in
Location: Trinidad
Reminds me of: Black Cake for its Caribbean setting and vibes, but less accessible; Encanto/Coco vibes in how it describes family legacy and the line of St. Bernard matriarchs
Pub Date: March 15, 2022

I'm really glad I read this, but, man, it was a tough read. It was written in a Trinidad-style dialect which took a while to me to fluently and comfortably read through - I like when books push me out of my comfort zone, so this wasn't a problem, but it definitely slowed things down a lot early on. I also felt confused by the timeline sometimes - did a day or a week or a month just pass by?

With those caveats, I really enjoyed this book. It reflected on issues surrounding death, the meaning of life, spirituality, family (and messy families, at that), and so much more. I loved the infusion of magical realism with Yejide's story and her family's role as shepherds and care-takers of the dead. It was really lovely how Yejide and Darwin complemented each other in their roles with the living and the dead. The story spoke to the colorful vibrance of life and the shadows of death, and it's very ambitious in the atmosphere it set out to create.

Not least, the cover of this book is AMAZING. Check it out sometime if you're looking for a more challenging read!

Read this if you:
⭕️ want to learn more about Trinidad culture and life
⭕️ like to read slower moving magical realism with a lot of character development
⭕️ enjoyed Black Cake and want to tackle a challenging read with a complex family story
⭕️ like dual stories that increasingly weave together into a single story

Thanks to Doubleday and #netgalley for a copy of this book!

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐤.

This novel truly is wild, full of wandering spirits, and while I opened the pages not knowing much about Trinidad and Tobago, I felt like I was transported to the Caribbean . Reading Ayanna Lloyd Banwo’s acknowledgements to her ancestors, I imagine they were the seeds to the creation of this story. There is power for many of us in the past, our cultures, in the lives of those who came before us. With that said, this is not my usual read but I wanted something different, magical and she delivered.

No longer enslaved like their ancestors before them, living in their home Morne Marie, the women of St. Bernards are there to help guide the spirits of the dead; which feels like another form of slavery at times. Yejide St Bernard’s mother is dying, and so it passes that she must wear the mantle and speak to the dead in her mother’s place, whether she wants to or not. We learn early in the novel that Petronella wasn’t so thrilled with the demands either. There are issues between Yejide and her mother Petronella, leaving Yejide even jealous of her aunt. It has left a lot of mystery about the demands of her future. It also begs the question, must we fall in line with what family expects, forever and ever, full circle?

Emmanuel Darwin needs work, to make money for his mother Janaya, whose health is failing, but that he has found labor at the cemetery (Fidelis) is something his mother cannot abide! Her son cannot work as a gravedigger, Port Angeles is a city of the dead and “Rasta don’t deal with the dead.” Fatherless, he has no one to guide him, but a man must make his way, even if it means living in the same city his father left them for. How much of that nugget of the past does he truly know? This all is a test, and he must succeed. Surely his mother will forgive him, still loves him? He has to go against the beliefs of her Rastafarian religion, there is nothing for him if he stays with her. Janaya and Darwin have always been separate. Never was he able to be a normal child, going to the cinema or concerts- not with his mother’s faith. Instead, he dealt with insults until he learned to defend himself, and his mother. No man is an island, but he and his mother always were. With Janaya’s work as a seamstress, she was able to provide for her boy, keep him clean of heart and safe. That was before her hands became painful and useless, no matter what, she doesn’t want him mixed up in those people- she did not bring him this far to see him soiled now. But he needs a life of his own, even if it means all sorts of trouble will befall him. He gives up his identity as a Rastaman first by shaving his dreads off. He will be a different man now, he must. Will proving himself cost his life, his soul? He is about to tangle with ‘those people’ in a big way, for no one is closer to the dead than Yejide.

Yejide feels no bond with her mother, all her life ‘snatching glimpses’, but never feeling a part of Petronella. Maybe with her death, Petronella will take the fate of her line with her, and leave Yejide free of the dead. It won’t be that easy. Soon, she is suffering through her own transformation, her mother like her granny Catherine before, is calling for her as she dies. Yejide feels like there is no living in their home, just worrying about the dead all the time. Her mother certainly didn’t want this ‘fate’ either, and taught her nothing. But now visions take over, and when her dead mother talks, she would be wise to listen. I enjoyed Petronella’s bite, coming from the afterlife. While Yejide has all things supernatural to contend with, Emmanuel Darwin has the dark hearts of man to fight.

It’s not the dead Darwin needs to fear, despite his mother’s warnings. He works under a man named Errol, who gives him a hard time from the get go and may truly be caught up in dangerous dealings. Errol who needs to decide just how he can use Darwin. Fidelis is a place covered by shadow, shadows of bad men, bad ‘living’ men. Cemeteries aren’t always places of rest. He is beginning to notice strange things leaving him unsettled. One night he sees Yejide and isn’t sure what she is (a spirit maybe), only that, when they meet again and he learns her name, it is like a prayer on his tongue. The two are tied, it is a love story but one of inheritance and fate. It is about how we take up our destiny and discard what is no longer serving us. It is the story about the bones in our line, what we owe the dead, and what is owed the living. It is a tale of the terrible things people do to make a living. There are rich characters and the dialect creates a more believable atmosphere. It is a strange read, yet it has gravity with the characters facing real hardships of reality, especially for a tale about otherworldly visions. If you enjoy magical realism, this is just for you.

Publication Date: March 15, 2022

Doubleday Boo

This was a beautifully written, character driven slow burn for me. I admire how love was found in the midst of death. I very much enjoyed the prose that was written in Trinidadian Patois.

Set in Port Angeles, Trinidad, When We Were Birds, is essentially the “love” story of Emmanuel and Yejide. He, a Rastaman, struggles with the breaking of a tantamount rule of his faith (handling/dealing with the dead) by accepting a job in a cemetery as a gravedigger. Yejide, a descendant and heiress to an otherworldly “gift” in which she has a burdened responsibility to the dead. In a world filled with magic, these two unlikely beings find each other (and others long thought lost) amid nefarious happenings.

The author opens with a creationist story involving carrion birds and Yejide’s ties to these mysterious creatures who consume the dead. While interesting, I was still a bit confused in the end as to how, why, and what role Yejide and her ancestors really served in this origin story. Sure she had necromancy-like “powers,” that came into play at a pivotal moment, but beyond that, I was a bit lost. As much as I wanted to love this story, it simply fell short for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to review!

Thank you, NetGalley for allowing me to read this novel from Ayanna Lloyd Banwo. This book definitely had elements that made the magical realism truly stand out. I enjoyed the character povs and the fantastical elements but I could not get into the writing style. This is more of me problem than anything as I know it is authentic as to if you were actually watching this occur in Trinidad, but I still felt disconnected from it since it is different from what I normally read. I plan to give it another try but as for now, I appreciated the book overall. It just was hard to get into it on my own accord based on how the characters spoke.

When We Were Birds is a beautiful and heart wrenching study about family, traditions, and the pieces of ourselves we lose and gain when we diverge from expected paths. You'll get a duel perspective look at Darwin and Yejide , two natives of Trinidad. You'll gain immense empathy and love for these two characters as their stories barrel forward, eventually colliding.
It took some time for me to find footings within this story, to understand the cadence of the dialect, however once I got there it created an impressive layer of richness and authenticity. The first half of the book is character building at its best but it could read as slow to some. Learning these characters intimately pays off in the second half though, when the plot really starts moving along.
When We Were Birds is a book that'll break your heart and then heal it over and over again. As foreign as this world and its traditions are too you, you'll still find pieces of yourself nestled among these pages. I found it to be both Cathartic and thought provoking, the prefect pick if your craving to be lost and then found within a story.

Exploring the pull of destiny and the dead, When We Were birds is a unique debut set in Trinidad and Tobago. Banwo introduces the reader to Darwin and Yejide, brought together by the dark forces surrounding the Fedelis Cemetery. Darwin is a new gravedigger, forced to take the job when his mother is no longer able to work. Darwin is uncomfortable and out of place at the cemetery due to his Rastafarian upbringing, which forbids him from contact with the dead. Yejide is mourning the loss of her mother... or, more accurately, the ancestral burden she must now carry as matriarch of the family.

When We Were Birds is spiritual and ethereal, and will resonate with readers who enjoy immersive storytelling, fated romance, and elements of mythology and magic.

That said, this novel is a bit slow to start and it took me a while to truly connect with the characters. And yet, by the end I was left wanting more as certain details felt a bit rushed in the conclusion. (Specifically, Yejide's family history, mythology, and role as a guide for the dead.)

Banwo's uses regional dialect throughout the novel, transporting the reader into the setting of Port Angeles. I'm really happy to see so many authors given freedom to enhance their storytelling with the language that is most familiar to them. It truly adds to the experience of reading different cultures. That said, if you're like me and struggle to hold focus with unfamiliar sentence structures, consider trying this one out on audio!

Yejide has recently lost her mother. She is from a line of women who communicate with the dead to help them find their peace. Darwin has been raised being told not to interact with death due to his religion, but this changes when necessity drives him to taking a job at a cemetery. The two are connected to each other through their connection to the dead.

This story was lovely. The prose flowed very well which allowed me to be transported into the story.

Books, even fantasy books, often teach me about cultures I know nothing about. Such was the case in reading the wonderful debut novel, When We Were Birds, by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo. Set on the Caribbean Islands of Trinidad and Tobago, the story centers around two very different people, Darwin, a Rastafarian who's mother warns him to have nothing to do with the dead, and Yejida, who can see spirits and help them transition to the afterlife. Within this context, the book is about family traditions and expectations, dashed hopes, and a love that can transcend everything to be all that matters. This was a beautifully written novel, and I loved it.

What I Liked:
Setting:

Trinidad is part of the dual island nation of Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. Although the names of the places are fictional, the author goes to great lengths to describe the urban settings, as well as the lush countryside. There are also lots of mentions of the foods and traditions that make up this vibrant island. This feels like a place where you could be in a large city and just minutes away are mountaintops with wild parrots and other animals. It also seems like a place where the traditions of one's family are of the upmost importance, and striking out on one's own is discouraged.

Story:

The story is set in Trinidad among two very different families. Darwin and his mother are struggling to make ends meet. His reality is that, although his religion strictly prohibits dealing with the dead, he must take a job as a grave digger in order to survive. He feels terrible guilt over this. Yejida has an expensive family. Her mother has the ability to see the dead and help them along to find peace after they die. She passes this gift onto Yejida, who soon learns that this ability is also a curse. Her life will never be her own. And she resents it. Both feel hopeless. When they each see the other in a vision, they know they are meant to be together. There are many obstacles along the way. I loved the hope they were able to have once they found each other.

Characters:

Both Darwin and Yejida have complicated relationships with their mothers. Darwin has deeply disappointed his mother by taking a job digging graves at a cemetery. This goes directly against their Rastafarian religion. You can also tell that his mom is bitter about his father abandoning him. It's probably hard on her as she sees the likeness of him in Darwin. Of course, he can't help that!

Yejida also is estranged from her mother. Yejida never felt loved by her mother. Her mom was distant and always treated Yejida as a burden. Also, Yajida's mom was supposed to train her in how to work with the dead to help them along after death. But her mom refused to help her prepare. So when her mother dies, Yejida is feeling more resentful than mournful about it.

Both Darwin and Yejida just want to feel loved and cherished. They somehow know that they are meant to be together and this gives them strength to face their challenges.

Themes of Death:

The story takes a good hard look at death. How people react to death, funerals, and what may be after life, are key components of this book. Darwin's traditions surrounding death include not holding funerals. It is terrible to even go near a dead person. So Darwin's mother tells him to not go to her when she is about to die, and not to set foot in the house again, if she dies in it. Since this is the only home he has ever known, he finds this deeply upsetting. When he takes the job at the cemetery, he has no idea about what happens at a funeral. His fellow gravediggers have little regard for the bodies of the dead.

Yejida sees death as another phase of life. Each of the women in the family have inherited the ability to see and hear the dead. This gives her a deep connection to her ancestors. Although she did not have a good relationship with her mother, Yejida still has great affection for the other women in her family. One of the things that Yejida sees most clearly is that people are in pain when they lose a loved one. She sees the profound loss that one feels when they lose a spouse. Even though she hates her mom, she automatically wants to comfort her stepfather.

This book is phenomenal!! The story starts with beliefs, Yejide's grandmother telling her the story of their family, Darwin choosing between work and his family values about the dead. From there a quick paced, engaging story is woven that is at times too real, and at others incredibly fantastical. The characters are interesting, sympathetic and human. The Patois of the island is used to tell the whole story, which builds a deep sense of place on the island.

I constantly found myself stopping to look up information on Trinidad, food on the island, and Rastafari culture and beliefs. The engagement of the magical realism, and romantic elements encouraged me to learn about another culture. This is why I seek out stories and authors that are diverse.

As a librarian I was given an advanced copy of this book to review. I will absolutely make sure it is part of my collection, and I will recommend it to my patrons and my coworkers.

Drawing upon the oral culture of Trinidad and Tobago, WHEN WE WERE BIRDS travels in worlds unknown to the Internet bound pilgrim, opening doors and windows to an interior life from which we once derived. Compelling reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and Doubleday for this advanced copy.

What a thoughtful, ethereal tale! I have been reading a lot of books that deal with parental death recently (mostly non-fiction) but this was such a moving tale of grief and love and the extraordinary circumstances that bring Darwin and Yejide together.

I really appreciated that this novel was able to tell a story that involved happiness without being sugary sweet, giving a sense of reality, even as spirits swarm our main characters. It felt like forever for Darwin and Yejide to meet, but it was so worth it when they do. Together they can explore their connection to the spirit world as well as their feelings toward parents who are no longer with them.

In the end, I wanted a little more from this book though. More explanation? More story? I can't really put my finger on it. But I look forward to reading more from Banwo.

When we were birds was a story that I wasn't expecting but it was good and a very pleasant surprise, the book explores a topic that I really love and enjoy as I celebrate the day of death each year making a huge altar with pictures of a family member who no longer are with us in this plane but we celebrate the life they had and the love we still have for these family members or friends we love.

When We Were Birds is kind of a dark tale of two people who find each other in the most bizarre situations, Darwin had to accept a job that was not the best but it was the only thing he could get at the moment to help with the expenses of his house.

Yejide doesn't know why she most follows certain traditions, she feels like her mom really doesn't love her and she is constantly reminding her in some way or another of these situations and feelings, but things started to change in a very different way and now Yejide and Darwin find each others path and is ready to evolve into something more.

Yejide comes from a line of traditions, that she has to honor and follow even if that meant saying goodbye to her mother who never shown any kind of love towards her, only traditions and respect that she had to continue following, she comes from a lineage of a woman in charge of Morne Marie, St. Bernards a house on top of a hill of Port Angeles. St. Bernards is an afterlife house or more like a place where they welcome death, and help them to transition to the afterlife or the other side.

I really enjoy the "craziness" of this book the "spiritism", the traditions that made this story and its characters so unique. I love how Yejide and Darwin met in the most unromantic place but still made everything possible for these two.

many things to say but not wanting to give more away.

Thank you, NetGalley and Doubleday Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This book is difficult to pin down, but it is beautiful. Its lyrical and its deep and poignant. Banwo is a voice that I have not had the pleasure of hearing before, and I'm glad that I had the opportunity to read this book.

i dont think i've read a book quite like this. i truly enjoyed the look at a different culture, at a different part of the world. the raw and real way that Banwo has written this book is, once you get used to it, flowing and lyrical. the use of what i can only assume is a trinadadian dialect raises the bar on this novel and further helps you sink into the world that Banwo has created.

Its at once grounded in the reality of a hard life, as experienced by darwin, and in the grief of loss as experienced by yijede, but there is something mystical that floats just below the surface. the chapters focused on yijede are naturally more focused on myth and the idea of legacy, given who she is and who her female ancestors are, but there is a beautiful weaving of the worlds once darwin and yijede cross paths.

What resonated with me most in this book is the idea of legacy. What is a legacy? what do we leave behind and how much is it our responsibility to prepare the future generations to uphold that legacy? yijede comes from a long line of women who, essentially, help and placate the dead. but she is woefully unprepared for her transition into what is essentially the matriarch of her line and family by her mother, who seems to have resented her responsibility and in some cases, left the dead to be forsaken.

It seems to me that the true responsibility of yijede's line is to remember the dead and to give them peace, to help them find peace at a time that is understandably confusing -- their death. they exist one moment, and no longer exist another. in the world that Banwo has created, this line of women are tasked with bridging the gap between living and dead, peace and unrest.

I think a bit too much time was spent on building up the character of darwin when, while he is important to yijede's life and ascension to her position of power, he pales in comparison to her. together, though, the characters do sing.